Arctic Shipping Electronic Commercial Clearances Pilot Program

The ASECC Pilot Program offers approved carriers the benefits of reporting marine cargo and conveyances to the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) electronically, without the requirement to physically report at a Commercial Vessel (C/VESS) port, upon arrival in Canada.

Do you qualify for the ASECC Pilot Program?

You may qualify if you:

• are a commercial cargo carrier
• are bonded with a minimum $25,000 CBSA surety bond
• are not acting as an agent for other marine carriers
• are without contraband or major commercial infractions
• are able to demonstrate that vessels expected to participate in the program would find reporting to a designated C/VESS port cost prohibitive or not feasible
• are able to maintain control of cargo shipments until delivered to the Arctic destination and
• accept the responsibility to provide to the CBSA Advance Commercial Information (ACI) cargo, ACI conveyance and crew information seven (7) days prior to each ASECC participating vessel's departure from the foreign port
  • Note: If ACI is required prior to the seven (7) days in advance of leaving the foreign port, ACI regulated timeframes must be adhered.

Applying for the ASECC pilot program:

ASECC application is a two (2) part process:

• Part 1 - Carrier, (lowest legal entity that holds a CBSA approved carrier code), must submit a Business Profile Application form BSF786 prior to April 30^th each year to nunavut_clearance@cbsa-asfc.gc.ca, with a copy to the CBSA National Targeting Centre (NTC) at cbsa-asfc-pans/aa@cbsa-asfc.gc.ca.
  • The ASECC season starts on July 1^st of the application year and ends on June 30^th the following calendar year.
• Part 2 - Pre-Arrival Notice (PAN), ACI Cargo, ACI conveyance, crew information and Voyage Information form, per vessel/per voyage, must be provided seven (7) days in advance of leaving the foreign port to the CBSA NTC at cbsa-asfc-pans/aa@cbsa-asfc.gc.ca with a CC to the "host region". "Host region" is the region at which the request for clearance is submitted.
  • In the case of vessels transporting Other Government Department (OGD)–regulated goods, release request documents must be submitted to the “host region” seven (7) days in advance of leaving the foreign port. The list of transaction numbers should be included in the ASECC Voyage Information form.

Note - “Host Region” is the CBSA office responsible for the first Canadian Arctic port of discharge of cargo, or if vessel is arriving in-ballast, the host region is the region responsible for the first Canadian Arctic port of destination at which vessel is scheduled to arrive.

Carriers are permitted to transport goods that may be subject to Other Government Department (OGD) requirements. For OGD-regulated goods, the importer must submit a release request and any other required documents seven (7) days in advance of the vessel’s departure from the foreign port. Should the OGD-regulated goods need to be examined the vessel will be obligated and instructed to report to a C/VESS port.

The CBSA encourages ASECC participants to submit release request documents for all goods, including those not regulated by OGD requirements, within the same timeframes (seven (7) days in advance of the vessel’s departure from foreign port). This would enable the CBSA to review the release information and reach a final approval decision on the goods well in advance of the vessel sailing into the Arctic, in order to minimize diversions of ASECC vessels to C/VESS ports.

Carriers must receive approval from the CBSA for each part in the process. Approval of the Part 1 - Carrier Pre-Season Business Profile does not guarantee that all vessels destined for a Canadian Arctic port will receive approval to travel directly to the Arctic port. The CBSA Host Region may require any vessel that is participating in the ASECC pilot program to physically report at a designated C/VESS port, as per the Customs Act Sections 11(1) and 12(1), and the Reporting of Imported Goods Regulations.

An authorized officer of your company must complete the ASECC - Carrier Pre- Season Business Profile and email to nunavutclearance@cbsa-asfc.gc.ca, with a cc to cbsa-asfc-pans/aa@cbsa-asfc.gc.ca and asecc-deecma@cbsa-asfc.gc.ca.

The CBSA reserves the right to request additional information for the purposes of this application process.

Each division of your company that maintains its own cargo reporting system and books and records must apply separately using its own carrier code.

Need more information?

If you would like more information about the ASECC Pilot Program, call the designated Host Region based on vessel Arctic destination. Please see a list of Host Regions in Appendix II.

The following form should be used to provide the required information to apply for ASECC. Unless otherwise specified, this information should be submitted in electronic format.

Note - For security purposes, P.O. Box addresses are not acceptable as a business address; the company's physical street address is required.

Part 1 - Arctic Shipping Electronic Commercial Clearance (ASECC) Pilot Program Carrier Pre-Season Business Profile

The information you provide in this document is collected under the authority of the Customs Act for the purpose of assessing your eligibility, and if approved, for participating in the ASECC Pilot Program. The information may be disclosed to other government departments or agencies to conduct applicable checks and verifications to determine eligibility and continued eligibility in the ASECC Pilot Program. Refusal to provide any information may impact eligibility in the ASECC Pilot Program. Individuals have the right to access and to make corrections of their personal information under the Privacy Act.

In addition to completing the ASECC Application form below, please provide a brief business profile of your company. In the profile include information such as, company overview, business activities, country of ownership, information on the company fleet and charter vessels, management directory and a short history of the company.

1. Canadian Carrier Code assigned by CBSA

2. Company Operating Name

3. Legal Company Name or Legal Business Name

4. Business Address

• Street Address
• City
• Province or State
• Country
• Postal or ZIP Code

5. Website (or N/A)

6. Contact Name

• First Name
• Last Name
• Language of Correspondence
  • English
  • French
• Title
• Email address
• Telephone Number (including area code)

7. Number of years in the transport industry

8. Are you a member of a WCO SAFE Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) supply chain security program? (Select all that apply)

9. Are you a member of a Customs Compliance Program (CCP)? (Select all that apply)

10. (a) Provide a list of Canadian importers (consignees) for which your company will provide cargo transportation services.

10. (b) Provide a list of Canadian exporters for which your company will provide cargo transportation services.

11. (a) Vessel Information
Provide a list of vessels expected to participate in the ASECC Pilot Program this shipping season.

• Vessel Name(s)
• Vessel IMO(s)
• Type of vessel
  (Container, Tanker, Ro-Ro, Bulk, Break-bulk, General Cargo)

11. (b) Do you contract your vessels out to other carriers/vessel operators?
Yes
No

11. (c) Which of these vessels will be participating in the ASECC Pilot Program this season?

• Name of Carrier and/or Vessel Operator
• Vessel Name(s)

12. Indicate the types of cargo participant vessels are expected to import/export, i.e. iron ore, mining equipment, community supplies, oil, etc.

13. Are any vessels, expected to participate in the ASECC Pilot Program, likely to carry cargo subject to OGD requirements (i.e. permits required)?
Yes
No

14. Will you be transporting goods on behalf of another carrier?
If yes, please provide a list of the carrier codes of your consortium partners.

15. Provide a short explanation why you expect ASECC will be required for your vessels

16. Estimated Date of start of your Arctic shipping season.

Security

Security is an important element of our partnership. The CBSA is looking to its partners to ensure sound security measures are implemented to help protect Canada from any unwanted persons or goods that could pose a threat to the country.

Please provide a summary outlining the process elements of the security procedures you currently have in place. Address the following elements:

Partner security

• Describe your screening procedures for agents, consortium carriers and service providers contracted to provide transportation services for your company.
• Describe your procedures for maintaining control of cargo shipments until delivered to the Arctic destination.
• Provide a list of Arctic ports at which your vessels regularly call and security measures provided at those ports.

Physical security

• Describe what measures are in place to prevent unauthorized personnel from gaining access to vessels and containers, and to prevent tampering with cargo and conveyances while they are in your custody.
• What safety and security measures are in place with respect to loading and unloading cargo at remote ports, specifically those where there is a lack of port facilities and resources?

Personnel security

• Describe what pre-employment screening, recruiting practices, and periodic background checks are conducted on your crew and any vessel operators.
• Describe controls in place to ensure crew and passengers are compliant with CBSA regulations and requirements while in a remote Arctic port.

Appendix I
Pre-Departure/Pre-Arrival Forms

Seven (7) days prior to departure from foreign port unless otherwise exempted:

Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) ACI:

• Cargo (A6A)
• Conveyance (A6)

Emailed* to host region with cc to CBSA NTC:

• Part 2 - ASECC Voyage information form
• BSF732 - Pre-Arrival Notification (PAN)
• Crew List: Crew lists may be presented on Form IMO FAL 5 produced by the International Maritime Organization or on any comparable computer-generated form.

Emailed* to host region upon arrival in Canada:

• A6 - General Declaration
• E1 - Ship Stores Declaration
• BSF522 - Crew’s Effects Declaration (formerly Y14)

*In case of e-mail outages, the documents may be sent by fax.

All required information above must be submitted seven (7) days prior to departure from foreign port. Failure to do so will result in diversion to a C/VESS even if the vessel had been approved to sail directly.

Appendix II
Contact Information

Host Regions

Quebec Region:
cbsa.marinequebecmain-maritimequebeccentre.asfc@cbsa-asfc.gc.ca, Fax: 418-649-6259

Northern Ontario Region:
nunavut_clearance@cbsa-asfc.gc.ca, Fax: (613) 991-6912

Atlantic Region:
np12rexc01g@cbsa-asfc.gc.ca, Fax: (902) 426-2129

Prairie Region:
nwtclearance@cbsa-asfc.gc.ca, Fax: (204) 984-7048

Pacific Region:
953npcu69g@cbsa-asfc.gc.ca, Fax: (604) 666-2962

Cc:
CBSA National Targeting Centre at cbsa-asfc-pans/aa@cbsa-asfc.gc.ca and asecc-deecma@cbsa-asfc.gc.ca

Appendix III
List of AEOs & CCPs Operational and Upcoming AEO Programs

An authorized economic operator, or AEO, is defined as:

A party involved in the international movement of goods in whatever function that has been approved by or on behalf of a national Customs administration as complying with WCO or equivalent supply chain security standards. Authorized Economic Operators include inter alia manufacturers, importers, exporters, brokers, carriers, consolidators, intermediaries, ports, airports, terminal operators, integrated operators, warehouses and distributors.

Operators can be accredited by Customs as AEOs when they prove to have high quality internal processes that will prevent goods in international transport to be tampered with. i.e.:

• ensure the integrity of the information
• ensure the integrity of its employees and
• secure access to its premises.

Instructions for completing the ASECC Application

Field no. 1 - Canadian Carrier Code assigned by CBSA: Enter the 4 digit CBSA assigned carrier code.

Field no. 2 - Company Operating Name: Enter the operating name of the shipping line applying for ASECC.

Field no. 3 - Legal Business Name: Enter the legal name of the shipping line applying for ASECC.

Field no. 4 - Business Address: Enter the full business address of the shipping line applying for ASECC.

*Note: P.O. Box addresses are not acceptable as a business address.

Field no. 5 - Website: Enter the shipping line's website address (if available).

Field no. 6 - Contact Name: Enter the name of the contact in the company responsible for applying for ASECC.

• First Name, Last name
• Select language of correspondence (English or French)
• Contact's title
• Contact's email address
• Contact's telephone number, including area code

Field no. 7 - Number of years: Indicate the total number of years the current shipping company has been in the transport industry.

Field no. 8 - Member of a WCO SAFE AEO: Indicate by selecting all applicable options if the shipping company is a member of a World Customs Organization, SAFE Framework of Standards, Authorized Economic Operator. A list of all available SAFE AEOs can be found in Appendix III of this application.

Field no.9 - Member of a CCP: Indicate, by selecting all applicable options, if the shipping company is a member of a Customs Compliance Program. A list of all available CCPs can be found in Appendix III of this application.

Field no. 10 (a) - Provide a list of Canadian Importers (Consignees) for which your company will provide cargo transportation services: If known, please enter the importer(s) name, town/port/city and province. For example, the name of the consignee with whom you have a contract, to import goods. If there are more than five (5) different companies, you may submit the others on a separate document.

Field no. 10 (b) - Provide a list of Canadian Exporters for which your company will provide cargo transportation services: If known, please enter the exporter(s) name, town/port/city and province. For example, the name of the mining company with whom you have a contract, to export goods. If there are more than five (5) different companies, you may submit the others on a separate document.

Field no. 11 (a) - Vessel Information: Provide a complete list of vessels that are expected to participate in the ASECC Pilot Program in the current season. If there are more than five (5) different vessels, you may submit the others on a separate document. You must provide the vessel's registered name, the ship identification number (IMO), and the vessel type: Tanker, Ro-Ro, Bulk, Break-bulk, Tanker, General Cargo, other. If Bulk, please indicate whether liquid or dry bulk. You may indicate more than one type. If `Other' describe type of vessel, for example a tug or Ro-ro type vessel.

Field no. 11 (b) - Vessel Contract out: Indicate if the shipping company contracts, (leases out, charters) any of its vessels to a different operator.

Field no. 11 (c) - List all the vessels that the shipping company contracts out to other operators which will be participating in the ASECC Pilot Program.

Field no. 12 - Type of Cargo: Indicate the type of cargo the ASECC participant is expected to import or export. Be as precise as possible in the description.

Non-Acceptable description: Mining

Acceptable description: iron ore, fuel, oil, community supplies

Field no. 13 - Cargo subjected to OGD requirements: Indicate if any cargo being transported into the Canadian Arctic is subjected to OGD requirements. For example, if the cargo requires permits, contains dangerous goods or are subject to CFIA requirements.

Field no. 14 - Consortium Partners: Provide a list of carrier codes of your consortium partners.

Field no. 15 - Explanation: Provide a short explanation as to why you require the ASECC Pilot Program for your shipping company. Indicate a reasonable threshold of difficulty in physically reporting at a designated C/VESS port upon arrival in Canadian waters, prior to continuing the voyage to the Arctic destination. The rationale may be related to costs, distance from point of arrival in Canadian waters to the C/VESS port, draft restrictions, etc.

Field no. 16 - Date of arrival: Indicate an approximate or the actual date of arrival in the Arctic for the current ASECC season.

Date modified:

2021-04-30